Car-fender.



Patented Aug. 8 I899. W. P. TUCKER.

C A R FE N D E R.

(Application filed May 19, 1889.)

(No Model.)

I N n c. we uonms PETERS co wowou No. wAsHwaTo Fries.

PATENT WILLIAM P. TUCKER, OF NEVV' YORK, N. Y.

CARI-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. e3o,757, dated August 8, 1899. Application filed May 19 1899. Serial No. 717,463. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I; WILLIAM P. TUCKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, Brooklyn borough, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Fenders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has for its object to provide a fender for street-cars-which" is mounted in such a way' that it can be instantly dropped from its normal running position at a little distance above the ground to a position in which its front end will be practically against the ground, so as to prevent any person who may be in front of the car from getting beneath the wheels thereof.

My improved fender is so connected with the car that it can be conveniently removed when it is desired to do this for the purpose of attaching it to the other end of the car when the travel of the latter is to be reversed.

To these ends my improved fender consists of a suitable network or open-work frame of wire or cord, preferably surrounded by a stiffening rod orrods, and to the said frame is attached a projecting inclined plate or arm rigid with said frame. Suitably hung tothe end of the car is an operating-lever having preferably a hook-shaped lower end, the point of which is arranged to be in contact with the said inclined platebr arm on the fender, and the upper end of this lever is arranged to be in contact with a holding plate or bar having teeth or holding projections to enable the lever to be adjusted to different positions. The fender-frameis suspended from hooks attached to the end of the car-platform, so that it can be readily removed when desired, and as the fender has no positive connection with this operating-lever no detachment of the fender from said lever will be necessary when the fender is to be changed from one end of the car to the other. The opeiyating-lever holds the tender in any desired position of adjustment, and when, in case of sudden danger, it is desired to drop the front end of the fender against the ground aslight sidewise movement only of the hand'operating-lever is necessary, thus enabling the fender to be instantly dropped in case of danger.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view showing a portion of a street-car with my improved fender attached. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the fender and parts to which it is connected. Fig. 3, is a slightly-modified form of operating-lever, and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail plan views of two slightly-different forms of lever holding plates or bars.

Adenotes a portion of a street-car provided atits end with hooked brackets or hooks a.

Bis the fender, consisting of a suitable wire or cord netting, preferably surrounded by a stiffening rod'or frame, the said fender being hung loosely in the hooks a, so that it may be easily removed therefrom when it is desired to change the fender from one end of the car to the other. The fender B is provided at its rear end with a rearWardly-projecting inclined rigid arm or plate Z), against which impinges the lower hooked end of an operatinglever O, pivotally hung in a bracket a, attached t0 the car. The operating-lever is controlled in any desired position of adjustment 75 by a gage-plate or holding device d, having a series of teeth or parts against which the upper end of the operating-lever will be held by the weight of the fender, transmitted to said lever through the plate or arm 1), against which the lower end of said lever impinges. The said lever is held in any desired position of adjustment, preferably, by its own resilience, and to this end the body of said lever consists,preferably,of a metal bar. The leverholding plate d, instead of being open opposite the holding-teeth thereof, as in Figs. 2 and 4, may be a closed or slotted plate, as d, Fig. 5.

The fender will normally be carried in the; posit-ion denoted'by-full lines in Fig. 1,.wrth

its front end at a little distance above the ground; but should the motorman desire to drop the fender into contact with the ground in case of danger it is only necessary for him to spring the upper end of the operating-lever slightly sidewise to disengage it from the tooth of the gage-bar d, by which said lever is held, and the said fender will then instantly drop down into contact with the ground, so

.as to be in such position as to catch any per p son who may happen to be in the way of the car. If desired, the fender may be raised to an angle of about forty-five degrees, as denoted by the upper dotted lines in Fig. 1, simply by operating the hand-lever O.

The front end of the fender may be provided, as usual, with small wheels or rollers to enable it to run easily over the ground or pavement \vhen dropped down into contact there with, and the operating hand-lever C may also have its extreme lower end, which is in contact with the inclined arm or plate Z) of the fender B, provided with an antifrietion-roller c to enable the parts to be easily operated.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that my improved fender and its operating device are of very simple construction and that the parts are so arranged that the fender may be dropped instantly in case of danger by a very slight elfort on the part of the motorman, and it will also be apparent that as the fender has no positive connection with its operating-lever it can be readily removed from or mounted in position at either end of the car when desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination with a car provided at its end with hooks, of a fender pivot-ally and removably hung in said hooks and provided with an inclined rearwardly-projeeting rigid part, an operating-lever by which said fender may be raised and lowered and which operating-lever bears against the upper surface of the said inclined rearwardly-projeeting rigid part, so as to tilt said fender on its pivot, the said operating-lever having no positive connection with said fender and the latter having no positive connection with the car so that the said fender may be quickly removed from or placed in position.

2. The combination with a fender to be removably hung to one end of the car and provided with a rearwardly-projecting, rigid, inclined arm or plate, of an operating-lever having a hooked lower end which bears against said rearwardly-projeeting, inclined, rigid arm or plate, and a holding device, as plate or bar (1, for the said operating-lever.

The combination with a removable fender to be pivotally hung to a car, and provided with a rearwardly-projecting, inclined, rigid arm or plate, as I), of a pivotal operating-lever 0 having a hooked lower end which bears against said rearwardly projecting, rigid arm or plate, and a holding bar or plate, as (1, provided with suitable teeth or projections adapted to retain the said operating-lever in different positions of adjustment, the said operating-lever being normally in contact with, but not positively connected to, the said arm or plate of said fender.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM .l. TUCKER.

\Vitnesses:

GEORGE E. BROWN, JOHN J. HAND. 

